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(CNN) - Al Haynes, a retired pilot who is credited with having achieved a forced landing under the command of a plane damaged 30 years ago in Iowa, saving the lives of 184 passengers and crew, died Monday, according to United Airlines. Haynes was 87, said KTIV, a CNN affiliate.
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Haynes died in a Seattle hospital, KTIV said. The cause of his death was not reported.
Haynes and his crew were able to fly the DC-10 to Chicago for approximately 45 minutes after the tail engine failed on July 19, 1989. In the forced landing at Sioux Gateway airport in Sioux City, 110 passengers died and a crew member.
The Federal Aviation Administration cited Haynes and his crew for their work to prevent further deaths, according to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
“Al didn't like the word 'hero' associated with Al Haynes. He never saw himself as a hero, "Gary Brown, director of emergency services in Woodbury County, Iowa, told KTIV." Every time he talked about what happened that day, he talked about his entire crew. He talked about the hostesses. He talked about the passengers who did what they had to do, and the emergency services and the entire community that joined. ”
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Here you can read the report of the National Transportation Safety Board on the accident (PDF).
United Airlines mourns the death of the former captain
United Airlines said the airline was sad to learn of Haynes's death.
"We thank you for your service throughout your United career and for your exceptional efforts aboard flight UA232 on July 19, 1989. Your legacy will endure," United Airlines said in a statement.
Haynes was born in Paris, Texas, and attended Texas A&M College, according to his biography on the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum website.
In 1952, he entered the Naval Aviation Cadet Training program. He served as a Navy aviator and was released from service in 1956. He joined United Airlines that year and worked as a flight engineer, first officer and captain.
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Haynes's plane was flying from Denver when he heard a big bang, followed by a short vibration, about 120 km north of Sioux City, he told CNN in 2013.
The noise was the sound of a broken engine fan disk that shot out of the tail engine. The disk cut the hydraulic lines of the plane, cutting off all direction and speed control.
"When the engine failed, the plane started to turn right and started rolling," said Haynes. "If we hadn't stopped that and turned on his back, I'm sure the nose drop would have increased speed so fast that there would be no way we could control it."
Somehow, Haynes, who was the captain, along with first officer Bill Records, engineer Dudley Dvorak and instructor Dennis Fitch, managed to steer the plane by adjusting the power on the two remaining engines of the plane, Haynes said. It was like trying to drive a car without power steering, Haynes said, only stronger.
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Haynes and Records fought with the control wheel, circling it on the right, bound for Sioux City airport. Fitch knelt while using both hands to move the throttle levers of the plane, which were difficult to move.
The hostesses tried to keep the passengers quiet in the cabin and prepare them for the forced landing.
"A passenger thought she was having a heart attack and the hostesses calmed her down, and it turned out she wasn't having a heart attack, she was just very nervous," Haynes said.
"I'll tell you what, we'll have a beer when everything is ready," Fitch told Haynes, according to the transcription of the flight recorder. "Well, I don't drink," Haynes replied, "but I'm sure I'll have one."
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Videos of the accident were reproduced on television news for months. In the months after the disaster, the authorities recreated the emergency in flight simulators. But the simulator pilots could not maintain control of the plane until landing.
Haynes "will always be fondly remembered for a career in professionalism, training and superiority in aviation," the National Association of Air Traffic Controllers said in a statement.
A life of humility
Haynes retired from United Airlines in 1991, according to the Smithsonian. He lived in Seattle, where he was a long time volunteer for the Little League Baseball and announcer of the high school football stadium, the Smithsonian said.
Brown, who met Haynes in the days after the accident, said he would like his friend to be remembered for his humility.
"Al was a very humble captain," Brown said, according to KTIV. “He was a very humble individual. He loved his family. He loved his community. I loved his job. The United Flight 232 crew became a family of theirs. ”
Thom Patterson contributed to this report.
emergency landing United Airlines